Socio-political observations and comment about an often hostile world.
Or maybe just a baby blog =]
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Paul
Tulipgirl
Angie
curmudgeonry
Classical Life
Ladydusk
Possumblog
Scott
What a Rummy Nation
Cathy plus one
Spudlets
Sand in the Gears
Corry
1902 Victorian
Michas Times
The Devil Queen
Heather
Gone South
Scrapbook of Sorts
1620 Fachwerkhaus
Jennsblog
Crazy Stable
Mathmom
Miracle List (A Lutheran church plant in MD)
CJCubed
Beautiful Things
Petrides Studios
Scribbles
Ahlen Art
Mebane Scenes
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Thursday, September 28, 2006
"That One's Kind of Crazy, But That One Is My Baby"
I think it's a Brad Paisley song (so sweet, and fairly sad), but anyway, it must be time for an impromptu Isaac update. Guess who yelled his way through Bible study Tuesday night! Guess who grinds his four teeth against each other all day long! Guess who laughs when he's getting cleaned up after a no. 2 because it tickles! Guess who looks to see whether Mama will applaud his xylophone music! Last, but not least, guess who refuses to sleep until he's so wiped out he has no choice (and it doesn't last long, even then)!
But whatever. He's my baby!
The Hugger
I was commenting over at Marc’s blog and remembered another blog-worthy fact about Jay: he’s a hugger! When his 3-year-old cousin was in town for the birthday party and Baptism, Jay gave her a couple of hugs, apparently out of the blue. Very cute! Then, the next week, Toddler Time started back up at the library. I had let Jay out of the stroller to work on puzzles, and then he saw his long-lost friend, Miss Chris, the TT lady. I think she had said, “Hi, John!” to get his attention, but in any case, when he saw her, he ran right over and gave her a nice big hug. When he’s not dumping cat food all over the floor, he’s quite the sweetie.
Isaac's version of hugging involves making a fist at the nape of the recipient's neck and pulling whatever hair or skin happens to be caught in his tiny death-grip. Sweet, but I prefer Jay hugs, myself.
Monday, September 25, 2006
WaPo- Not Just for Redskins News
If you're not registered with them, you might have to in order to read the article (linked by Drudge). A nicely balanced article about W in relation to troop casualties. As my younger brother is now in boot camp, this subject is a lot closer to me than it would have been a year ago. Mom, if you read it, have a kleenex handy.
I remember having seen another article about W with a really personal flavor to it in the aftermath of September 11. The Washington Post isn't your typical liberal media vehicle these days (of course, look what happened to the NYT!)
Sunday, September 24, 2006
My Two Sons
Not a whole lot going on around here, but since Jay and I are sidelined by a stomach bug, I figured I could manage an update this morning. In the interest of time, I'll just list a few random facts:
*Now when Isaac pounds out a "tune" on the xylophone, Jay cheers for him
*Isaac likes to roll onto his side from his back, but he still hasn't completed a back-to-front roll independently
*Jay had a good report on his two-year check-up: 60th pctl for height, 98th (?) for weight (aside: OK, he's not skinny, but he really doesn't look all that chubby to me. Must be a lot of stick-figure two-year olds out there!)
*Jay and I shared a piece of devil's food cake at the bakery on his birthday. He said "cake" many times
*Earlier that day, he got an orange lollipop at the doctor's office. All the way home, I heard "Pop-pop. Mmmm!" from the backseat =]
Friday, September 22, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Ow!
All the walking from our zoo trip finally hit me. It's just muscle pain, so nothing to be concerned about. I just thought I had gotten away with it up until about 5 minutes ago!
We had a great time. Photos to follow =]
Monday, September 18, 2006
Backpedalling
Isaac is getting better at moving. He will push up on all fours and slide backwards. And then back further. In his walker, he travels fairly well- backwards. Since we're always on the first floor, at least the only way to go is up! Isaac did manage to launch himself forward a few inches tonight, using all the strength in his chubby little legs. I'm sure he'll figure out crawling before long. Now if he could only roll over back-to-front!!
Jay's been having a great time with his birthday gifts. An added bonus to the office/playroom setup is that he doesn't spend much time in the living room (where the TV is), so we don't have to waste a whole lot of effort or breath enforcing the 2-video limit. Some days he doesn't ask for any at all. Jay's recent favorite words are "uh oh!" and "wow!" (aka "vowowow!"). You can imagine the cuteness.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Excuse Me?
Religious leader Ali Badda Kolu said the Pope's comments represented what he called an "abhorrent, hostile and prejudiced point of view".
Whilst Muslims might express their criticism of Islam and of Christianity, he argued, they would never defame the Holy Bible or Jesus Christ.
OK, so who is it who's bombing people and flying civilian aircraft into office buildings? Is this the preferred method of expression?
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Locomotive Technician
So far, Jay's shiny blue battery-powered Gordon engine (with coal tender) has required a few repairs. Nothing beyond my capacity, so far, but just give Jay time...
Monday, September 11, 2006
To Our Anonymous Benefactor
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the giraffes!! Now I definitely need to go frame shopping =]
Meantime, I stumbled across a link to magnetic paint... How fun would THAT be for the playroom?
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Big Weekend!!
Well, I guess it's over now! It's back to work in the morning for me, and our families have said their goodbyes and are back at the hotel, resting up for a long day (or two) of travel starting in the morning. There should be more than enough photos below to make up for the two weeks drought, though I didn't get many from the Baptism. I think maybe somebody did, and I'll see them eventually (anyone?). Same with the cake. In any case, Jay had a smashing (splashing?) time Saturday, and he has more new toys than he knows what to do with. Good thing we made a home for them. Heather and Greg, your contributions are not forgotten! Thank you again!!
Thankfully, our luncheon guests were patient and understanding. If anyone knows how conscientiously refrigerated (unopened) cheese can go bad in two days, let me know! Or not, since it makes precious little difference now. The moldy cheese was just the straw that broke the camel's back and unleashed my thinly concealed massive disorganization. At the end of the day, though, I hope everyone had enough to eat, because we have mountains of leftovers. If only we could freeze them for about 10 years, it probably wouldn't seem like that much food, but the boys haven't quite hit their appetitinal peaks. [I graciously grant permission to y'all to use my new word. Isn't that gracious of me?]
I hope I didn't let my inner bridezilla out too much. I know I'm no longer a bride, but it's the best way I know of to express my unfitness for being in charge of two celebrations in as many days. This is the sort of thing that stresses me out and makes me more of an uptight meanie than usual. Not to mention the lack of focus. What was I saying? Anyway, thanks to all the family and friends who pitched in to keep things from hurtling over the precipice into complete disaster! It's not like I'm trying to be Martha Stewart or anything. You'd think a grown woman could organize cold cuts and chips!
What could have been a really nice photo of Aunt Mindy. At least it's somebody ELSE's debris!
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I think we have heard from these guys before... I wouldn't call them FREQUENT commenters, exactly
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Friday, September 08, 2006
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Sleeping Like a Baby
I just returned from the third bedding down of Isaac "for the night", which means I've got at least one more coming. It doesn't matter whether we start early or late, it is the rare night when Isaac stays asleep for more than an hour at a time before his 9:30 or 10:00 bedding. We didn't go through this with Jay because we let him cry himself to sleep before he was 6 months old. Because they're both upstairs, I don't feel comfortable letting Isaac "cry it out". I read most of the No-Cry Sleep Solution book, but I just don't know how to get Isaac to go to sleep without picking him up. Patting him on the back doesn't do it. I even bought some new pacifiers today, since Isaac doesn't like the ones I bought in Ohio. He likes these better, but they haven't been the magic solution. I guess I just have to get used to the idea that the evenings are not remotely mine.
Murphy Strikes Again
After a nice healthy summer, we all have colds. Just in time for the festivities and our families' visits. Maybe we won't be contagious by the weekend?
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Yay!! Playroom Coming Into Being
Thanks to Heather and Greg's able assistance and mad furniture placement visualization skillz, the playroom is in use! The big bookshelf didn't quite work where I had envisioned it, so Heather and Paul ended up rearranging the living room to find a home for it. Now we just need to hang up the cute "[Hip]Po!" "[Gi]raffe!" and [Zebra] plaques that Heather and Greg gave us (and probably go ahead and pack up the swing). Jay had a great time pointing out colors in the rug, and I showed him how he could put each of his cars in a square. This must have appealed to him since he followed suit. Now we just have to convince Jay he wants to play over there. He's got too many toys with wheels!
Shows What I Know...
Having become convinced that Isaac was an enormous 6-month-old, I was rather surprised to learn that he is only 1/4" taller than Jay was at 4 months- 50th percentile. At 18 lbs, 12, he's at the 75th percentile for weight, but still... Anyway, Mom, he ought to fit into the Baptismal gown!
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Elephants, Giraffes, and Tigers, Oh My!
I may steal these shots for the playroom!
My parents come from a city that LOVES high school football. Not surprisingly, their team happens to be pretty good most years, to put it mildly. In any case, this cute little fellow is the mascot this year: Obie, the Massillon Tiger. Go, Tigers!
(Thanks to my parents' friends, R&M, for taking these and passing them to my folks and to my folks for passing them on to me!)
Mr. Twisty
Though Isaac is not the head of a cheese curl empire (gratuitous VeggieTales reference), he IS rather twisty. Tonight at dinner, he was sitting in my lap (it's his habit to sit there and watch every forkful leave my plate, opening his mouth as it approaches, only to have his hopes dashed EVERY SINGLE TIME), and instead of passively surrendering each bite, he started arching his back. A lot! So much, in fact, that he would end up looking straight up into my face and then smile when I made eye contact. When he got bored with that game, he tried snatching my plate of very hot food from the table. Daddy removed him from the premises (well, the dining room anyway) when the danger became apparent.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Second Thoughts and Numbers
OK, so we're going to try a third Isaac nap at 6:30 and then real bedtime at, I don't know, 9:30 or 10? He's always tired right before Jay's bedtime, and I know we made a mistake by not moving Jay's bedtime earlier sooner, but if I have to put Isaac to bed 4 times, maybe that's a sign he's not really ready for bed. And I don't want to hear you parents of teenagers telling me that this is the easy part!
So we've also been working with Jay a little bit on counting and numbers. I don't think he really gets it yet. The other night, I (facetiously) asked him to tell his father how many dirty diapers he'd had that day. I answered "three" for him, and he joyously repeated "Bee! Bee!", holding up both his index fingers and waving them around.
Terrible Twos
So, the rest of you probably knew that as soon as I posted about Jay's cooperativeness I was sunk. *Sigh* Carrying the boy up a flight of stairs isn't getting any easier, I might add. And while it's easy to release him from his belt-positioning booster, we may need to re-institute the harness if Jay doesn't get the picture that he needs to sit on his rear while the car is moving. Changing, nap, and car rides aside, though, things aren't too bad...
Daddy and Jay have been working diligently on the alphabet, with Mama doing some coaching here and there. We were at the bakery today ordering a certain someone's birthday cake (photos to follow), when Jay started playing with the magnetic goody labels. "Put it back, please." "No, we don't play with that." etc, until Jay just melted me by pointing out: "S!" "E!" "I!" "R!" "B!" (reading the "BROWNIES" sign R-L). He still didn't get to take the magnets down, but I was rather proud of his letter recognition. This from a boy who still calls his daddy "Ga!"
Six Months Old
Well, Isaac reached the half-a-year mark yesterday. He still hasn't figured out how to complete a back-to-tummy roll. I keep putting him on the floor, wanting him to practice rolling or scooting, and when he's on his belly, he does get around a little, but he seems to go backwards as much as forwards. He loves his carrots, squash, green beans, and cereal, and he's even getting patient enough that he doesn't cry between spoonsful (usually). When he wakes up in the morning, Isaac is all smiles and gurgles, which is not a bad thing to wake up to! Bedtime isn't going as smoothly most nights. Running up and down the stairs four times an evening is getting old, but I don't have a good alternative, so I guess I'll just have to keep doing it. And SOMEDAY, I'm confident, our baby will sleep for more than 6 hours before waking up to eat. I know that that counts as sleeping through the night, but when the night starts at 7, that's not terribly helpful. Jay, you spoiled us!
